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05th Nov 2015

18 Sex Offenders Found to Be Living Near A Cluster of Schools in Cork

Under current legislation their details do not need to be shared.

Cassie Delaney

It has been revealed today that 18 registered sex offenders are living within a small radius of a cluster of schools in Cork.

The offenders are living near the Wellington Road area in Cork’s inner north city area. The schools include primary and secondary schools such as Christian Brothers College, St Angela’s College, St Patrick’s, St Luke’s CoI, Scoil Mhuire, Bruce College, and Hewitt College.

Under current legistlation parents and school officials DO NOT have the right to know the details of sex offenders living in their regions.

Speaking to The Examiner, Tony McCarthy, aministrator of the Christian Brothers College said school staff are always on the lookout for anybody acting suspiciously in or around the school grounds.
“We’re obviously concerned about any dangers which might be lurking out there,” Mr McCarthy said.

“We’ve had a community garda who talks to the lads [pupils] about their safety. In the primary school virtually all the pupils are dropped to the gate, but we’re always on the lookout because we would be concerned about their safety anyway,” he said.

Fine Gael TD Denis Naughten has called on the Government to implement legislation that will make the wherabouts of sex offenders more transparent. Currently a loophole exists which means sex offenders only have to spend one in seven days at their stated address. He calls for legislation more similar to that of the UK.

“They can spend the other six days wherever they like. In the legislation I have drafted I want them resident at an address for a minimum of three days a week, like the law in the UK,” Mr Naughten said.